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The Quantum Suicides
The Quantum Suicides, by Wasamon, is the origin story for the Barnes family. It is being published in two parts, on 2019-01-15 and 2019-01-28. The tale is framed by a presentation on 2016-08-10, and its aftermath, but the main story is from 2016-06-23 and 2016-07-13, where there are three flashbacks even further back. Summary Part 1 Part 1 was published on 2019-01-15, and takes place between 2016-06-23 and 2016-08-10 with three flashbacks. 2016-08-10 A - - > Washington, DC Dr. Derek Speers testifies before the Senate Committee on Public Use and Safety of Devises about DARPA project LIFELINE. After getting the senators more or less oriented to the project history and objectives, he explains what it’s about: a devise that runs the quantum suicide thought experiment backwards. Briefly, it takes someone at the moment of a sudden or violent death and essentially recreates them the moment before they went splat - or whatever it was they did. Its inventor, Eusebius Feltch, better known as Schrodinger Maxwell, used it to perpetrate a series of robberies, since he could die or even kill himself, and then pop out of the box with whatever he’d been carrying. He eventually died of accumulated transcription errors. The first successful subject was one Chester Ferris. 2013-11-15 - - > Calumet City, Illinois Chester Ferris commits suicide by jumping off a water tower. 2016-06-20 - - > Suburb north of Chicago, Illinois Chester Ferris wakes up in a bed. How did he get here? He meets Dr. Speers. He is not impressed. After the tidal wave of partially understood explanations, he manages to ask for his clothes back. Dr. Speers takes him to the room where they are comparing his clothes at the moment of death to the clothes he was wearing at the time he stepped out out of the box. They are, as far as they can see, identical. 2016-08-10 B - - > Washington, DC Dr. Derek Speers finishes talking about the previous subject and introduces the next: Myra Paget. 2000-12-31 - - > Somewhere on the Mississippi Myra Paget confronts someone, then tries to get away and falls off the railing of the Mississippi Casino boat she’s on. 2016-06-23 - - > Suburb north of Chicago, Illinois Myra Paget comes to in the box, which is still full of water. They fish her out and apply emergency drowning protocols. 2016-06-24 Myra discovers that she’s lost her unborn daughter in the process. 2016-06-25 Myra has recovered, at least enough to be functional. She talks to Ella Wilkins, who is Dr. Speer’s minder. Keep him out of trouble, make sure he eats, that sort of thing. 2016-08-10 C - - > Washington, DC Dr. Derek Speers finishes the presentation on Myra Paget and, after explaining why they did not do the suggestions from other agencies, introduces the last subject: Marcus Billings. Died on 1991-04-01 - the Fools Fight. 1991-04-01 - - > New York Marcus Billings is having a very bad day. Caught on the Brooklyn bridge during the Fools Fight, he gasps for breath in the heavy smoke. Once he gets clear, he sees the missile coming for him. 2016-06-30 - - > Suburb north of Chicago, Illinois Marcus Billings is recovered, but he has nightmares of the choking smoke and the missile coming for him. 2016-07-01 Marcus Billings has recovered - somewhat - from a night of nightmares. Myra coaxes him out from under the bed and explains what has happened. She uses a Star Trek transporter as an example. Then Ches shows him around. Speers retires to his quarters, specifically to the Toy Box, which has huge number of components looking for other components to do something with. It’s his stress relief and also the only way he can actually think through people tangles. After putting together a few gizmos, he realizes that he should give Myra the job of household management. Then he puts his foot in it by saying he’s going to call Ches’ father. Ches runs, and Myra explains why that’s a real bad idea. She finds Chez, and they have a bit of mad food science ice cream. 2016-07-03 Marcus and Myra hit a flea market and come home with a lot of stuff. Ches is too out of it to come with them. Then they run into a Defense of Humanity troop on the way out. It’s a wanna-be militia outfit that doesn’t do well when a bunch of little green leprechauns ties their shoelaces together. When they get back, Ches has withdrawn into a shell - literally. An ultrasound demonstrates that he’s still there. Myra sends Marcus to Speers so they can he can show Marcus how to build a PFG. Marcus takes the hint, and in a couple of hours has conclusively demonstrated that he’s a devisor. Speers makes a more stylish monitor for Myra. 2016-07-04 They’re watching Marcus’ latest creation when the monitor alarm on Ches goes off. Ches breaks out of the egg. He’s turned into a girl, and not just any girl. She’s the image of the last D&D character he designed. And that character has a secret trait: Dragonblood. Oh, shit. Part 2 Part 2 was published on 2019-01-28. The story still has the framing from 2016-08-10, but its main events are from 2016-07-04 to 2016-07-13. 2016-07-04 Ches settles in to being a girl. And part dragon. She’s definitely an energizer, and there may be other oddities associated with her former D&D character. Dr. Derek Speers explains a few things about Chessa’s case. Such as that she’s still genetically male: 90% of her cells still have a male set of chromosomes. The complete transition to female may take several years. Chessa decides to take her “big sister’s” last name. Since Myra has just decided to change it to Barnes, she’s now Na'Chessa Rakia Barnes. 2016-08-10 D The testimony before the Senate continues, with discussion of Na'Chessa’s case. :As we say in the labs, 'Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is cause for radical reconceptualization of the hypothesis.' 2016-07-05 Myra comes down with a killer headache. It waxes and wanes but won’t quit. 2016-07-06 They start out the day with a short memorial service for Myra’s unborn child. In her grief, she sees a network of lines, and utters a word: ASTOLON. Then she collapses. They spend a lot of the time icing her down to keep her from dying from burnout. 2016-07-08 Myra comes to. She’s been out two and a half days. Janceena Sevcik from the DPA arrives to do initial processing and testing. Myra discloses her secret: she’s got the spells from Dragon Quest IV. She’s also an empath, both receptive and projective. They discuss Chessa’s MID: Energizer 4, Exemplar 3 and PSI 1. She took Maidenclaw as her code name because all the good dragon names were already taken. Marcus announces that he got Dr. Speers old school code name, Retrofit. (We don’t know what Speers’ current code name is). They spend some time watching Myra blasting a bunch of drones that Marcus has built for the exercise. 2016-08-10 E Derek Speers has a private conference with Senator Larson after the Senate session closes. He mentions that he would like the project canceled as simply too unsafe and not able to meet its objectives. 2016-07-09 Shopping Trip! Marcus and Derek head for the electric and so forth parts while Myra and Chessa head for the clothes. Chessa notices that people were tending to avoid her. Not that she thought funny green eyes, glittery skin and a crest on her nose were all that abnormal, but apparently they did. Dr. Speers picks up an active devise that he wants to keep off the open market. Then Boggart shows up, with news that the Defenders of the Rights of Man seemed to be on their way. Boggart uses a devisor spray to disable both Myra and Chessa. Then he runs with Chessa. When Myra recovers, she notifies Marcus, who is in the van with Derek. (The devisor spray is Cuckoo channel’s Knockout # 6). Both groups, Derek and Marcus as well as Myra and Ella, are tracking Chessa via her monitor. Marcus has a number of Search Snake drones going through the marketplace as well, tracking the vigilantes. Derek activates the mini-bus’s weapons array. Marcus finishes the Ice Wave, and then they prepare for battle. The vigilantes succumb to Derek and Marcus as if they did’t have any actual combat training. Boggart turns out to be with something called the Advent, a mutant activist group that envisions a lengthy, possibly centuries-long fight. They handle him easily. Then they use Chessa’s sneeze lightning bolt effect to paralyze the vigilantes long enough to get to the mini-bus and out of the parking lot. 2016-08-10 F Dr. Derek Speers finishes his discussion with Senator Larson. They talk a bit about the Adventists, and also political tactics. 2016-07-13 The Barnes, Dr. Speers, and Ella, say goodbye to Chicago, on the way to Houston via Oklahoma City. Characters In order of appearance, except that some characters may be moved earlier to fit with families or other organizations. Part 1 *Dr. Derek Speers - High level Gadgeteer. Former code name is Retrofit. *U.S. Senators - Senate Committee on Public Use and Safety of Devises. **Senator Larson - Wisconsin - seems to have it together **Senator Murtaugh - Ohio - comic relief. **Senator Huff - Wyoming **Senator Ashkettle - - Former astronaut. **Senator Groves - New Jersey — interested in finances *Barnes family **Myra Barnes - originally Myra Paget ***Melanie - fetus that miscarries, possibly because of the devise. **Chester Barnes - originally Chester Ferris ***Charles Walter Ferris - father (USMC, retired)S ***Silvia Ferris - (deceased) **Marcus Barnes - originally Marcus Billings. Died during the Fools Fight. ***mother and father. likewise deceased. *Schrodinger Maxwell - Eusebius Feltch *Ella Wilkins - staff, Derek’s minder *Carlos Ramirez - Staff. “Assistant #5”, there are at least four others in the facility. He's a graduate student working on his PhD. *Johnathon Green - former something or other of Myra Paget. (Single scene) *Mr. Thurgood - DARPA administrator, embezzled funds and fled to Karedonia (mentioned) *Agent Wozniak - triple agent in Dr. Diabolik’s staff (mention) *Doctor Diabolik - Leonidis Diabliku - (mention) *Mauer - Lawrence von Greenwald - one of the Green Cross’s agents. (mentioned, deceased) *unnamed XVQW agent. The less said, the better. *Dr. Renee Kogata - staff psychologist *Mr. Scott (Star Trek TNG reference) *O’Brien (Star Trek TNG reference) *Riker - (Star Trek TNG reference) *Dan Quayle - US Vice president (mentioned) *George Bush - US president (mention) *Dick Tracy - comic character - (mention) *Defense of Humanity, Troop 32 - commando wanabees *gaggle of 1foot tall leprechauns. *Boggart Evolution Rocks person -. *Dr. Jacob Stapleton - Biodevisor - definitely off his meds. Went to high school with Dr. Speers, so a confirmed Whateley Alumnus. I'd say. *Schimmelhorn - batty inventor from a SF story *Anne McCaffrey - SF author - (mention) *Na'chessa - Ches’ game character - probably the template for her BIT Part 2 * Allison Andres * Janceena Sevcik (DPA woman. Classmate of Speers. Possible Whateley graduate.) * Permafroster (Short-lived, literally, Devisor villain. Blew himself up.) Category:Stories Category:Gen2 Category:Wasamon